Castle of Water

by Dane Huckelbridge

I loved this book! Barry and Sophie are strangers whose plane crashes in the Pacific stranding them on a remote uninhabited island. Their common aim is to survive and their struggle to work together to find food from the islands meagre supply and their efforts to build a home for themselves are heart-warming. The whole delivers a satisfying read of love, loss and survival - and deserves a wider audience.

Extract

It wasn't all bananas, however. There was also the small grove of coconut palms on the islands' lee, with nuts rich in both milk and meat. A pass by the rocky cove revealed more maxima clams than Barry had initially estimated, not to mention a few strands of washed up seaweed that did seem edible, if only they could find more of it. The boulder-studded mountain in the island's middle was speckled with nests of the sooty tern, more than a few of which cradled a very edible egg. And of course, the waters around them did hold fish. Paddletail snappers out by the reef, black jacks that travelled in slow moving schools, and even the occasional mahi-mahi. However, the only decent fishing spot on the island was the very same cove where that exceedingly large octopod - theatrically dubbed 'Balthazar' by Sophie when Barry pointed the creature out to her - lurked in the shadows, ready to pilfer whatever bit on the line.

Parallels

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

Castaway by Lucy Irvine

happysad

funnyserious

safedisturbing

expectedunpredictable

larger than lifedown to earth

beautifuldisgusting

gentleviolent

easydemanding

no sexsex

conventionalunusual

optimisticbleak

shortlong

Character

Race

Black2

White5

Asian1

Mixed race3

Other culture4

Non-human6

Age

0-251

26-502

51-753

76+4

Sexuality

Straight2

Gay1

Bisexual3

Gender

Male1

Female2

We are working to add Non-binary to our gender choices. In the meantime, if you know any books with non-binary main characters you think we should include, please let us know.